Knitting-machine.



C. H. PERKINS. KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED-MATE. 1 916-Patented' Jan. 9,1917.

3 shins-shin I 72116712307? I Charies i er/tins.

C. H. PERKINS.

KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. ma.

Patented Jan. 9,1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2 $1 Ira/6771707? 677%65 15f Perkins I C. H. PER INS.

Patented Jan. 9,1917. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

? P6 Zebu? Q and dial needles.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cnnnnns mrnnxms, or LACONIA, imw

NEW namrsnmn, A CORPORATION on NEW FACTUBING COMPANY, 01 LAKEPQBT,

HAMPSHIRE- K HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TOOBANE MANU- KNITTING-MACHINE.

Be it known that I, CHARLEs PERKINS,

of Lakeport, in the city of Laconia, county of Belknap, and State of NewHampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inKnitting-Machines, of which the following is'a specification. Thepresent invention consists in certain improvements upon the knittingmachine set forth in United States Letters Patent of John S. Crane, No.1,027,034., May 21, 1912.

The improvements relate, first, to a new organization of knitting camsin an independent circular dial knitting machine so that the loops drawndown by the cylinder needles shall land on the spring beards of the dialneedles; second, to a new presser which yieldingly presses upon thespring beards-of the dial needles to insure their taking and casting offthe old loops; andythird, in a yarn guard located between the yarnfeedand the presser.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1, is a plan view of so much of a circular dial knitting machinehaving independent spring needles as is necessary for an understandingof the present invention. Fig. 2, is a vertical section in the planeindicated by the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a front view of a portionof the machine illustrating the yarn guard in position. Fig. 4, is adetail front detached. Fig. 5, is a detail front vlew of the presser.Fig. 6, is a detail plan view showing the relative action of thecylinder Fig. 7, is a vertical section indicated by the line 77 in Fig.6. Fig. 8, is a section in the plane indicated by the line 8.8' in Fig.6.

The improvements are illustrated in they drawings as embodied in amachine of the type wherein the needles and their carriers rotate, whiletheir actuating devices and the feeds are mounted on fixed supports. Themachine may be of the type wherein a plurality of yarn feeds and ofknitting cams are employed; but, as the yarn feeds and knitting cams'areall just alike. only a single Specification of Letters Patent.Application flledMay s, 1916. Serial No. 96,081.

dles act in usual view of the yarn guard Patented 'Jan. 9, 1917.

yarn feed and the cooperating knitting instrumentalities areillustrated.

There are two sets of spring beard needles, a, a, being the main needlesand b, b, belng the ribbing needles. The main needles a, a, as shown,are carried upon a rotatmg cylinder A, upon the periphery of which theyare guided and attached in such manner as to permit them to reciprocatevertically under the action of cams which are slmilar to those disclosedin the aforesaid Patent N 0. 1,027,034, one only of which (the draw cam)is indicated at o, in Fig. 2, of-

the present drawings. The ribbing needles b, are carried by a rotatingdial B, and are adapted to reciprocate radially on said dial by camswhich are mounted upon and beneath a normally stationary cam or capplate C, which is superposed above the dial B. The knitting cams for theribbing neemanner (as in said Patent No. 1,027 ,034) except for theaction of the throw out cam D. This cam D, is so shaped and located withres'ect'. to the yarn feed and to the draw cam c, for themain needlesthat the loops drawn down by the main needles land upon the tops of thebeards of the dial needles as said dial needles are be- 1ng movedoutwardly by the action of said cam D, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7,of the drawings. v

The yarn feed may be of any well known character but is illustrated assimilar to that shown in United States Letters Patent of John S. Crane,No. 880,013, February 25, 1908. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, of thepresent drawings there is a rotary feed wheel E, carrying radiallymovable sinkers d, which are thrust radially outward by proper cams in awell known way so as to enter between the elevated main needles a,thereby sinking the yarn loops between the shanks of the main needlesbeneath their beards. The yarn, indicated at e, in Fig. 1, is deliveredto the sinkers through .a yarn guide F. The yarn having been thusdelivered to the main needles a, said needles are drawn down by theaction of the draw cam a, soas to engage the yarn presented to the saidneedles by the 'sinkers. The main needles a, descend below the shanks ofthe ribbing needles as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 7. During the actionof the sinkers and the downward movement of the main needles a, theribbing needles b, are being thrust outwardly bv thethrow out cam D, asillus trated in Fig. 6. The ribbing needles are still moving outwardlywhen the main needles are drawn below the ribbing needles. Fig. 7, showsthe relative position-of one of the main needles and one ribbing needlewhen the main needle has just passed completely below the ribbingneedle. This position is that indicated by the section line 7-7 in'Fig.6 of the drawings. As shown by Figs. 6 and 7, when a main needle hasthus been drawn down below the neighboring ribbing needles on bothsides, the ribbing needles are still moving outwardly and the points oftheir beards have not reached the lane of the main needles. Theconsequence is that the new loops drawn down by the main needles arelanded on top of the beards of the ribbing needles instead of beinglanded on the shanks of the ribbin needles as in the case of the machineof t e aforesaid Patent No. 1,027,034, as well illustrated in Figs. 33and 34, thereof. This landing of the loops on to the spring beards ofthe rib bing needles relieves the yarn of strain thereby preventing thebreakage of the yarn and the casting off of stitches, and it also aidsin the drawing of the stitch. This action is due to the relativelocation of the two draw cams D and 0. Cam D, is located to the rear ofcam 0, so that its projecting action is continuing after that of the cam0, has resulted in brin mg the main needles below the shanks 0 theribbing needles. After the yarn has been landed on top of the beards,the ribbing needles continue their outward movement under the action ofthe throw out cam D, until the beard of the needle has passed entirelythrough the new loop f, as illustrated in Fig. 8, and in Fig. 6,

at the section line 8-8. The new loop f,

rides off the beard and is drawn down on to the shank of the ribbingneedle as illustrated in Fig. 8. The dial or ribbin needles I), aresupported at their outer en s by the usual horizontal supporting plateG, while receiving the loops and until they have been retracted beyondthe reach of the presser as shown in Fig. 1. After the new loops havebeen laid upon the shanks of the ribbing needles, said needles are drawninwardly by the draw cam illustrated in dotted lines at H, in Fig. 1.Durin this drawing in movement the beards o the ribbing needlesencounter the presser I, which depresses the point of each beard afterit has assed over the new loop and before the ol loop g, is reached(Figs. 7 and 8) so that, during the completion of the drawin in movementof each ribbing needle, the o d 100 rides over the beard and is castoff. ThlS is a well known action being disclosed, for example, in saidPatent No. 1,027,034.

The cams D and H, are such that the ribbing needles are given but asingle outward movement, that is to say, after these needles havecommenced to retract under the influence of the draw cam H, there is nosubsequent outward movement until after the old loops have been cast offand the next knitting operation is to be performed. In other words, theribbing needles have a single outward travel and a single inward travelduring each knitting operation. The new loops are landed on top of thespring beards of the ribbing needles, as shown in Fig. 7, while theribbing needles are moving outwardly andbefore said needles reach theirextreme outward position. That is to say, after a new loop f, as shownin Fig. 7,

cam c, is landed on top of the shank of the ribbing needle and clear ofthe old loop g, on that needle. It is a frequent happening, in knittingwith the usual arrangement of spring needles and cams, especially withlinty yarns, or where a knot occurs, or where the old stitches areloose, that a new loop is laid on a needle shank so close to the oldloop as to be engaged thereby or entangled therewith, with the resultthat the beard point of the ribbing needle on its retraction assesbeneath the new loop as well as t e old loop thereby dropping a stitchwith a resulting defect in the fabric. In accordance with the presentinvention,

the new loop being landed upon the spring beard while still movingoutwardly, is subject to the frictional engagement of the spring beardso that the new loop is kept clear of the old loop; and, when the newloop escapes from the point of the heard, it lands upon the needle shankat an always clear distance from the old loop. as shown in Fig. 8, sothat on the retraction of the ribbing needle, the point of the beard issure to pass over the new 100p before it is depressed and enters beneaththe old loop.

The presser I, consists of a plate secured at the front end of a rockshaft J (see Fig. 1) which is journaled in a bracket K, carried by thefixed cap plate C. A coiled spring L, fastened at opposite ends to theshaft J, and the bracket K,'acts to yieldingly press the lower free endof the presser I, against the beards of the ribbing needles as thelatter pass beneath the presser, as

- are closed by the presser until after the old loops'ride on to the topof the beards. The

. presser has a handle k, by means of which it can be lifted free fromthe ribbing needles when desired. The lower edge of the lower free endof the presser is shaped so as to bear upon the desired number ofribbing needles. Between the feed wheel E, and the presser I, is locatedthe yarn guard M This guard has a vertical shank i, which is guided in abracket N, fixed to the ca plate C. This shank 6, extends above the asshown in Fig. 3. A contractile is fastened at its upper end to the upperend of the shank a, and at its lower end to'the bracket N, so that theyarn guard M, is yieldingly pressed downwardly. This yarn guard M, isabove the ribbing needles, and

.its lower edge rests yieldingly upon the beards of the ribbing needlesas said needles are moving outwardly and approaching their completeoutward movement and hence during the period that the new loops'are heldupon the tops of the beards of the ribbing needles. This guard keeps theyarn in posi-' tion on the beards. This yarn guard is located above themain needles when drawn down, and in substantially the same plane as theshanks of said needles. The lower bearing edge of the guard extendsalong the path of the main needles (Fig. l) and it is above a pluralityof said needles, as shown in Fig. 3. It is so located that the mainneedles are drawn beneath the ribbing needles before they reach it, asshown in Fig. 3. The yarn guard M, assists in evening the loops informing the stitch. The spring 0, has just tension enough so that if oneor two beards of needles under the foot of the guard stand higher thanthe rest the guard levels them down to the correct plane, andconsequently the yarn forming the loops is distributed so as to make theloops of the same length, there-- byproducing an even looking fabric.

I claim 1. An independent needle circular knitting machine having a mainset of spring beard needles and a set of ribbing spring beard needles,in combination with a yarn feed supplying yarn to the main needles, adraw cam for the main needles, and a draw cam for the ribbing needles,the relative location of said draw cams being such that the main needlesare drawn down beneath the ribbing needles while .the ribbing needlesare moving outwardly and before the beards of the ribbing needles passoutwardly beyond the main needles so that the yarn drawn downwardly bythe main needles lands upon the spring beards of the ribbing needles.

racket N, spring 0, V

' needles,

2. An independent needle circular knitting machine having a main set ofspr ng beard needles and a set of ribbing spring beard needles, incombination with a yarn needles being relatively located so that the 1main needles are drawn down beneath the ribbing needles while theribbing needles are moving outwardl and before the beards of the ribbingneed es pass outwardly beyond the main needles so that the yarn drawndownwardlyby the main needles first lands upon the spring beards -of theribbing needles and subsequently upon the shanksof the ribbing needlesas the said ribbing needles complete their outward movement.

3. An independent needle circular knitting machine having a main set ofspring beard needles, a set of ribbing spring beard and a fixed capplate within the circle of main needles, in combination with a bearingfixed to said cap plate, a presser acting upon the spring beards of theribbing needles as they are drawn inwardly to cast off the old loops,such presser consisting of a plate the lower edge of which acts upon thebeards of the ribbing needles and a horizontal rock shaft turning insaid bearing, and a spring acting upon the rock shaft and causing thepresser to yieldingly bear upon the beards of the ribbing needles.

4. An independent needle circular knitting machine having a main set ofspring beard'needles and a set of ribbing spring beard needles, a yarnfeed which feeds yarn to the main needles, a throw out cam for theribbing'needles, and a presser bearing upon the beards of the ribbingneedles as they are drawn in to cast off theold loops,

in combination with a yarn guard located between the said yarn feed andsaid presser, and a spring-actin the bearing edge of said presserbeinglocated in substantially the same plane as the shanks of the mainneedles.

5. An independent needle circular knitthe said yarn feed and saidpresser, and. a spring acting upon the yarn guard causing the old loops,in combi-' upon the yarn guard, causing it to press yleldingly upon thebeardsof the outwardly moving ribbing needles,

it to press yieldingly upon the beards of the outwardly moving ribbingneedles.

6. An independent needle circular knitting machine having a main set ofspring beard needles and a set of ribbing spring beard needles, a yarnfeed which feeds yarn to the main needles, a throw out cam for theribbing needles,)a presser bearing upon I the beards of the ri bingneedles 'as they are drawn in to cast ofkthe old loops, in combi- 10nation with a yarn guard located between the said yarn feed and saidpresser with its lower edge just above the outwardly-moving ribbingneedles.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto 15 signed my name.

CHARLES H. PERKINS.

